Chapter 2

       As the sun arose from the horizons and the birds sang their morning melodies, Pipkin woke from a rough night. The stone floor was not a comfortable mattress. Pasco and Prue was still slumbering deeply. So, Pipkin decided to go and forage for food. He thought he should take the ulti-sword that he found the previous night and, because it was more powerful, the fire core. Cautiously, he placed the amber gemstone into the heart of the handle and, like last night, the blade set alight. He ambled out of the gloomy cavern and stared around. A deep thick mist had settled on the ground making it incredibly hard to see. Because he was unconscious yesterday afternoon, he did not see his surroundings. It was plains. The worst place to be. Pilgrimers could easily see him. Hopefully, the scouts would still be asleep. He patrolled the grasslands looking for any signs of food. After what felt like hours of foraging, he saw them. Orange carrots protruding from the fertile soil. He lunged forwards and ripped them out the ground and sprinted off, back to the cave. 

        He walked into the cave to see a very scared Pasco. “Thank the gods you came back. I thought you’d been killed or taken away. You could of at least left a note in the soil,” she screamed.

“Sorry. I found some carrots and last night when you were snoozing I found the…” Pipkin started.

“ULTI-SWORD!” Pasco bellowed, “I thought that was mythical. At least we have some protection now.” That was a seriously good point. Now, they could defend themselves against the scouts. Pipkin chucked 4 rather dirty carrots to Pasco thus to share with Prue. She brushed the soil off the carrot and started to eat. They munched on the fresh carrots that, thankfully, filled their stomachs. “Where do we go next?” Pasco asked.

“North to Mount Cloudreacher but I think we should go west to the forest first to make sure the prowling eyes of the Pilgrimers don’t spot us,” replied Pipkin. So it was that the three bunnies hopped off into the heart of the forest.

         After minutes of walking, Pipkin saw something that shocked him so much he thought he felt his jaw fall off. Footprints. Not any footprints. Footprints of the army that destroyed his very own home. Now, he was the most alert he had ever been, his ears trying to pick up sounds of mumbled voices, steel weapons or rustling leaves and twigs. Also, without realising, he started creeping, keeping very low. Then he saw two red eyes prowling around a certain clearing. He signalled to Pasco to follow him and they crept around. Not concentrating, Pipkin stepped on a stick. It snapped and made a sound that caught the ears of the Pilgrimer. He started to speak his voice was deep and dark. “Come out little rabbit,” he sneered. His instincts taking over him, Pipkin forced the orange crystal into the sword and charged. Pipkin was not great at a lot of things however his fighting abilities were supreme. This scout was better at fighting than any of the weapon smiths he had every practised against. He tried his hardest. Soon after 3 minutes of intense battling, Pipkin had managed to strike the scout directly in the stomach. Scarlet blood started to ooze from  belly and his fur was painted red. “We better hide him so they don’t know we were here,” suggested Pasco. They agreed and dragged the hefty body and placed him in the brambles. 

        2 miles later, they ran into a predicament. A river 3 times the size of yesterday’s. This one would require a raft. But wait no it wouldn’t. Pipkin had discovered a water core that could manipulate water. He could literally be Moses. He forced the diamond covered water core into the handle. He imagined the water rising to make a path. As commanded, the water stopped flowing and a wall of H2O the height of a watch tower was made. They stumbled down the bank that had twisted roots creeping through the soil and stepped into slush-like swamp that was the river bed. After only a few steps later, Pipkins’s feet were as heavy as boulders. Every step sunk Pipkin paws deeper into the mud. Suddenly everything felt silent. Nothing moved. Not a single leaf shivered in the winter breeze. Abruptly, a single stray arrow flew through the air, piercing the wind. Pipkins reflex’s kicked in and he swung his sword behind him and the arrow was smashed to smithereens.                        

Wood splinters flew everywhere. Just then, a 1000 I.Q idea popped into his mind. What if he could use the manipulation power to make a sort of water boat? Could he? He tried it. He focused really hard on  a water boat and he was lifted into the air and he was pulled across the river at speed. In no time, he had reached the end of the river. He scrambled up the bank and peered around to see 3 Pilgrimer scouts strutting from the forest. One of them was smothered in bandages. They obviously hadn’t killed that scout. The other two were large and muscular grasping broad swords the size of the other Pilgrimer. He switched the power sources and conjured fire right where they were. The cries sounded like nails on a blackboard. The soldier on the right narrowly missed the flickering flames and dived into the river. He swam like the wind. Speedily switching the cores again Pipkin stole the water from underneath the private and he fell splat on his face into the mud. He replaced the water and the rabbit was submerged in a ripple of rushing currents. 

          As he turned around, he gaped. He stared at it. Mount Cloudreacher, the tallest mountain in the hole of Zonkro stood in their way. He was just about to start walking around the rock skyscraper when the amber and cyan stones started to flash slowly. Pipkin ignored it and carried on walking. When the flashing began to slow even more Pipkin realised what it was doing. He had obviously come into the radius of another gem and he was heading away from it. Quickly, with Pasco and Prue, he sprinted back where he first saw the mountain. Taking the first step, he started to ascend the mountain. 

        4 hours later, he was at the height of the clouds. He was gasping for air because the altitude was extremely high. He could see the summit. And perched on the snow was a transparent glass Pearl. He ran as fast as his tired legs could carry him. He clutched the jewel to his chest and placed it in the sword. Legend said that you have the power to teleport with it. Focusing really hard, he tried to teleport down the mountain a couple metres. He opened his eyes and he had magically teleported. He looked behind him to see Pasco smiling with pure delight. He walked down the corner to see dark shadows looming an the floor. Deep ochre lanterns created black silhouettes on the white blanket that is the snow. Somethings were crunching through the frost, something bigger than them, something ruthless. A coat of arms that pictured a rabbit being shot with an arrow rose higher and higher. Shouts echoed through the air and Pipkin and Pasco were quiet sure who was clambering up the mountain. Pipkin grabbed Pasco and Prue in a rugby tackle and swiftly teleported into a musty cave. “Did you see something?” questioned the large general. There was a mumble of unsure no’s. 

        In the dark cavern, Pipkin stared around. He could see cobwebs clinging for dear life on the roof, vines relentlessly grabbed the rocks and cockroaches crawling across the floor. He had no time to worry though. He collapsed in exhaustion and went to sleep.

One early morning, Pipkin, a brown rabbit with white speckles was minding his own business, playing a game of tig with his lop-eared rabbit friends. He was enjoying himself very much and felt very light-headed. However, he did not know that the dreaded army of Pilgrimers were only a couple of miles north. Their quest to rule the world involved them attacking and taking over every single Warren in the world of Zonkro. A sudden rustle of leaves caught the ears of many rabbits and were creating a sense of worry in the air. The call of a long, deep battle horn echoed through the air. The Pilgrimers were here. Chaos erupted from the crowd and  people were running carelessly in every direction. Grey rabbits painted with blue paint and armed with deadly broad swords that make fatal injuries ran out of the forest. They bellowed words of war that struck fear into the souls of poor rabbits who will most likely meet their fate in minutes. Houses were lit and trees the size of skyscrapers collided with the ground and Pipkin was grabbed into a small gathering of his family: Prue, his baby brother, Pasco, his elder sister and his mother. She shoved a map and a glowing orange gem into his hand and push them away. “Go,” she shouted,”Go, NOW and don’t come back!”

        Pasco scooped up Prue, and the group of brown, small rabbits sprinted off as fast as their little legs could carry them. Pipkin looked back, staring at the billowing smoke and listening to the petrified cries from injured rabbits. Scared out of his skin, he ran and ran and did not look back. 

        After what seemed like hours of running, Pasco halted and ripped the old, tatted map out of Pipkin’s hand and glared at it, trying to distinguish what it meant. “What is it?” Pasco said examining the map twisting and turning it to try and calculate the correct interpretation. Pipkin replied, “Can you not see it? It’s a map of Zonkro. Look. That’s Wildsville and that I think is The Sandcastle. The map says we need to head to The Drago Mountains first, north-west of where we are.

        For the next couple of hours, they kept on walking through thick shrubs and foliage, stopping every now and then to check their surroundings for Pilgrimer scouts. It was starting to become unbearably cold as a thick, bone-chilling coat of snow smothered their bodies. Pipkin was amazed at the forest; he had never been out this far. By the time it was midday they had run into their first dilemma. A fast flowing, deep river stood in their path looking extremely intimidating. Rivers were already cold and it was the middle of winter, making it doubly cold. Pasco and Pipkin began to argue about the choices they should make, and after a while of shouting they settled on an agreement. They were going to swim…

        Pipkin imagined the cruel snap of alligators – even though they did not exist there – and the biting coldness of the river and the deep gashes caused by sharp rocks. He was going to jump. 1,2,3 and… However he couldn’t do it. Despite the constant taunts of ‘you’re a wimp’ from his sister, he couldn’t do it. But he should. But…. He thought for a second. There was nothing to lose; it was jump in or die a torturing death in the grasps of the Pilgrimers. He closed his eyes and jumped.

        The water gave him a shock worse than electricity. The water was as cold as a turned shoulder. He was shivering uncontrollably. He swam to the other side that felt like a mile away. One arm than the other. Then it happened. A rock as sharp as a blade cut Pipkin, creating a searing pain in his right leg. He heaved himself out the banks and collapsed on the grass. His sister carried Prue and they went next. His sister had a a similar reaction but tried to hide it. She crossed the river to find Pipkin bleeding ferociously on the grass. A patch of grass had turned a crimson red. Noting the seriousness of the situation, she teared off her inner cloak and wrapped Pipkin leg in it.

         Hours later, Pipkin woke up to a stressed and distraught Pasco. She had taken Pipkins flint and steel and was currently striking it, trying to create a fire. She had already foraged for food and wood and taken shelter in a cave. “See you have waken up snoozy,” snarled Pasco, “Urgg, you do it!” Pipkin took the flint striker and had a go. 3 strikes later, a spark had settled in the bone-dry straw. He gently blew and a flame was born. He cautiously placed kindling on the flame. It all depended on these catching fire. Fortunately, they did. He added larger sticks to make the fire bigger. 

      They ate some wild blackberries that were extremely sour, nevertheless it relieved the cramp-like pain in the pit of his stomach. They drank some murky water from the river that had an after taste of dirt; even so it felt like it was better than his mother’s hot chocolate on a cold night. He watched as his siblings drifted off into a well earned, deep sleep. Something was preventing him from sleeping though. Suddenly something in his pocket felt triple the weight and it popped into his mind. The orange stone. It was flashing deep inside his pocket. He took it out and it seemed to lift him off his feet and pulled him deeper into the cave.

       Moments later, something metal shimmered at his glance. He was drawn to it like a coin to a magnet. He took an observant look at what appeared to be a sword and another gem that was blue. Just then it came to him. If the two stones were the fire and water cores that would mean it was… Yes, it was. He had found the legendary, lost until now Ulti-sword of the creators.

08.06.21

How to look after a Common River Unicorn 

By Andrew Blair

First, create a grass, reed and seaweed nest next to either:

A large loch/lake,

A large, deep river (I recommend this one best),

A stream.

This is compulsory to ensure it is warm and comfortable. This particular species requires a 1mile squared territory away from any unicorns so it is not attacked by older alpha males.

Next, provide a soft, warm and waterproof blanket to closely mimic its mother’s body keeping it cosy in the night.

Then, paddle and play in shallow water to make sure it doesn’t get bored. These animals need lots of attention. Practise swimming in slightly deeper water to strengthen your unicorns legs.

Also, regularly feed it with shellfish, fish, seaweed, fruits, nuts and seeds. Feeding times occur at 7:00, 12:00 and 20:00. When your foul is around 6 weeks old start training it to hunt dead fish. Once another 4 weeks has passed, train your Common River Unicorn to hunt proper live fish. Teach it to cut seaweed, take crustaceans of rocks and to retrieve nuts/seeds and fruit from the river banks.

After that, take your unicorn swimming or walking without a lead. Practise flying by flapping its wings. With enough trust you might be able to ride or even fly your unicorn.

Later on, give it loads of attention and strokes. It might roll on its back and stretch its leg. It likes a scratch on the chin.

Finally, play it relaxing river sounds.

WARNING!

It is best to get 2 or 3unicorns so it doesn’t get lonely but don’t get 2 males.

There are countless breeds of unicorns however no species is as interesting as the Common River Unicorn. Not much is known about these elegant creatures due to their supreme camouflage. The Common River Unicorn is the most common unicorn in the world making up 20% of the worlds unicorn population. In fact, they make up a whopping 67% of the aquatic unicorns. That is a lot baring in mind that there is over 200 breeds of aquatic unicorns. Despite the popularity of Common River Unicorn, you are still very lucky to spot one.

              The coat of a Common River Unicorn is as soft as velvet, and consists of blending shades of blue to aid its camouflage. As long as a ruler, its twisted, crystal blue horn has rare abilities only 1% of unicorn breeds have. To ensure it does not fall in when it walks on water, it’s hooves are filled to the brim with enough magic to destroy the Milky Way. Often mistaken for seaweed, the mane and hair is dark green. The bright green, striking eyes of a Common River Unicorn are as beautiful as flowers.

              The Common River Unicorn resides in wide, deep and fast flowing rivers, lochs, lakes and reservoir preferably near dense forest where they can secretly make their reeds and twig nests. Warm and temperate climates suit the Common River Unicorn best as they don’t dry out in the hot weather. Common River Unicorns are more often that not found in Canada, Alaska, North U.S.A and Britain especially the Scottish Highlands.  

              Common River Unicorns are omnivores. They are not very fussy creatures nevertheless they prefer to eat salmon, weed, fruit, seeds, nuts, shrubs and shellfish. Not like normal hunting unicorns, Common River Unicorns hunt in a peculiar way, stabbing there horns into fish and shellfish before throwing them of the horn and then guzzling them. Do you know that if a Common River Unicorn eats dry food it will explode, launching H2O in every direction. 

              Unlike many unicorns, the Common River Unicorn is amphibious meaning it can go in and out of the water, breathing efficiently in both. If you see a Common River Unicorn you will be granted supernatural swimming abilities. A unique skill that only Common River Unicorns have is the ability to control all marine life in it’s territory that is usually around 1 mile long. 

             There have been 271 recorded sightings of this unicorn, the most recent on the 23 August 2019 by a rural hiker named Lee Macdon. He said that it was an amazing sight and that he wished he could see it for another 5 seconds. Unfortunately, the only photograph of a Common River Unicorn was lost in a fire-burnt to ashes. We can only rely on words.

             Due to the magic in their horn,  the Common River Unicorn has been hunted. Luckily, not many have been killed. Let’s hope these immaculate creatures aren’t hunted to extinction.